The Return of the Drums
by RebelLove-ChildOfBVB
Summary: A lot has changed in the three years that River Song has been away. Whilst on her travels, she met a certain Mrs Martha Smith, formerly known as Miss Martha Jones. Martha told River some very important information, the information that will turn The Doctor's, and indeed, River Song's, life upside down, inside out, and VERY complicated! Chapters 5 is up! R&R!
1. Chapter 1

"Hello, sweetie!" River's voice drifted through the TARDIS.

"River?!" The Doctor looked up, in awe. He hadn't seen his wife in almost three years. Although he hadn't changed his face, he was now an older version of the man she knew, yet, _she_ knew. River knew her husband. She would always know her husband.

"Missed me?" She asked, laughing, a beautiful sound that The Doctor had missed so much, he had missed her, he had missed her so much.

"Always." He replied, laughing with her, taking her in his arms and kissing her lightly on the lips. Since Rory and Amy's departure a year ago, there had been no one else, there never was and there never could be. Amy and Rory were the only people, besides River, of course, that this Doctor loved. There had been others, like Rose, Martha and Donna, of course, but Amy and Rory were different, somehow, yet the Doctor couldn't quite put his finger on why they were.

"Doctor?" River asked, concern in her eyes, "What is it, Doctor? Where are Amy and Rory?!"

"They're," The Doctor couldn't get his words out. How was he going to tell her? How was he going to tell his wife that her parents, Amelia and Rory Williams, were gone?! "River, honey, there's something I need to tell you..."

"They're dead, aren't they?" She asked, tears springing to the corners of her eyes as she spoke, "My Mother and Father are gone, aren't they?" A stray tear fell down her right cheek, splashing onto her purple velvet coat.

"River, I am so sorry." The Doctor placed his hand on her cheek, wiping the other tears that were still falling down, "They had a good life, they were happy, they had each other-"

"How did they die?!" She asked, cuddling into his chest, wetting his coat with her tears.

The Doctor stroked her hair, her lovely ringlets curling around his fingers as he spoke, "Old age, eventually."

"So," She swallowed, "They were happy, and they lived a life, without me, and without you?" She looked up, smiling a small smile.

The Doctor looked at her and returned the smile, kissing the top of her head also, "They were happy, happy as can be!"

"I'm glad they were," She smiled again, reaching up to plant a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth, "Thank you, Doctor."

They stood in each other's embrace for about a minute or so, silence fell all around the TARDIS as they stood together, catching up on three years of lost contact between them. Eventually, River stirred from the embrace, "There's something I need to tell you, sweetie," She looked into his topaz eyes, a sad look crossed her troubled face, "It's about a certain Mrs Martha Smith."

The Doctor, obviously troubled by her news, swallowed nervously, "You- You mean Martha Jones?" He asked, avoiding his wife's eyes.

"She's back," River continued, "She's back, with her husband,"

"Mickey Smith?"

"Yes, yes, she said that was his name, Doctor, she wanted me to tell you this.." She reached up, so that her mouth was mere centimetres away from his ear, "she told me to tell you this: The Drums are returning. It doesn't make sense, does it, Doctor? What drums?!"

The Doctor dropped his hand from their embrace, No, no, that's not possible, no, no, NO! They can't, HE can't be, I watched him die, I watched him DIE!"

River stood back, allowing her husband the space he needed to comprehend this news, "Doctor, what does it mean?!"

The Doctor, still seemingly unable to come to terms with this horrific news, stayed silent, watching his wife warily.

"DOCTOR!" River shouted, getting his full attention, "You tell me what that means, you tell me now!"

"It means, River," The Doctor pulled her closer again, "It means that I, and indeed, you, are in grave danger," He hugged her even tighter, trembling as he spoke, "It means, that The Master is returning."

"Who is?" She asked, confusion on her face.

"The Master. He's- He's like me-"

"He's a Time Lord?!" River gasped, "I thought you were the only one left!?"

"So did I, River," The Doctor sighed, "So did I."


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor stood in complete silence, not knowing what to say next. How could The Master be back?!

"Sweetie?" River touched his arm tenderly, "Sweetie, are you alright?"

The Doctor turned around, so River was behind him, "I'm- I'm shocked, that's all. I need some time to think, some time to adjust, some time to take in what Martha has told you. I need to know why he's back, why he didn't perish.. I watched him burn. I watched him die, I don't understand!" Tears were in the corner of his eyes, and clear confusion was etched upon his paling face.

"Hey, shush, sweetie, it will be okay, you've defeated him before you can do it again, maybe Martha was just being paranoid, maybe she's just thinking too much, maybe it's just her way of wanting to talk to you."

"Martha isn't like that. She was the only one that _chose _to leave, she chose to leave me, she wasn't like Rose, or Donna, or.. Amy and Rory. She 'got out' before she suffocated. Things got complicated between us, we-"

"Stop it, just stop, you're going to make yourself worse, shush, it's okay, Martha isn't here, you're okay, The Master isn't here, you're fine!"

"I loved her, River. I loved Martha, I loved Rose, I loved Donna, and I loved Amy. And I suppose I had a soft spot for Rory too."

"I'm here, I'm here." River tried to sooth him, but he refused her touch.

"You don't understand, River. If The Master is back, then no one is safe, no one will ever be safe again."

"Are you scared, Doctor?" She asked, linking her arm with his, pushing her body against his.

"I- I- The Master is a powerful man, River, almost impossible to defeat..."

River looked into the eyes of the man she'd married four years earlier, and, for the first time ever, she saw fear, "You've done it once. You did it alone, but now, now you've got me!"

"River, I- Martha- We-" He stumbled over his words, not quite knowing how to construct his sentence.

"You defeated him and Martha was there?" She asked, not wanting to sound bitter towards his friend.

"Yes, except, I wasn't much use.." He stiffened, "I- The Master turned me into a 906 year old man, I was pretty useless. If it wasn't for Martha we'd all probably be dead."

"_Martha saved the world_!?" River liked the sound of Martha, she had to admit.

"Pretty darn close yes. She saved us all, River, she saved every last person and then she walked away and broke my heart, I'd just about come to terms before Donna and then I lost her too, I loose everyone important to me, I always do and I always will."

River smiled, and touched the left side of his face lightly, "I'm afraid you're stuck with me forever, sweetie."

"For the rest of _your _life, River, not the rest of mine. I can't spend the rest of my life with anyone. You all die eventually, you all whither and decay. I can't- Imagine watching that happen to someone whom you-"

"Someone whom you love." River finished for him, saddened by his words.

He took her in his arms, spinning her around the TARDIS, making her laugh with wonder, "Yes. I love you, Professor River Song Melody Pond Williams!"

"Whoa," River laughed again, "River or honey would do, sweetie!" She kissed him passionately on the lips, cuddling in to him as close as he would allow her too, "I love you too, forever."

They kissed once again, and as a song came onto the radio, they danced and laughed, forgetting everything but themselves.

"Right!" The Doctor suddenly spoke, making River jump a little, "It's time we paid a certain Miss Jones a visit, don't you think, honey?" He winked at her as he flipped various buttons on the TARDIS's control panel.

As the familiar whirring of the TARDIS came to life, River gasped, "Try taking the brakes off next time, Doctor!" She winked back at him, laughing as he swatted her hand playfully, "Let's go find her."

"The Woman Who Walked The Earth meets The Child Of The TARDIS!" The Doctor laughed,


	3. Chapter 3

As they whizzed through the air, The Doctor dialled the all too familiar number into River's mobile telephone device, deliberately slowing down as he reached the end, his fingers shaking as if he were in a battle zone. He placed the receiver up to his ear, his mouth becoming dryer as each ring became a distant sound, after around a minute, a familiar voice spoke; "_Hiya! This is Doctor Martha Jones-Smith. If this message can be heard I'll probably be busy doing other things! Please leave me your name and a contact number and I'll get back to you as soon as I possibly can! Thank you!_"

"Er, well, hello, Martha. I presume you know why I am calling at this hour. I need you to get back to me, how do humans say? ASAP, please, good bye." He rung off, ashamed and confused at how formal he had become. This woman once knew his deepest and darkest secrets.

River entered from where she had been standing, placing a hand on his shoulder, "How did it go, sweetie?"

"It- It, didn't, really, it was her answer machine thing, I left a message, I left a message asking her to call me back, I-…"

"She'll know to get back to us, then, sweetie?" River asked, planting a kiss on the shoulder she had hold of, "She'll know why we called."

"She will," The Doctor smiled, handing River her mobile back, "She will always come when I call. She promised me she would, and Doctor Martha Jones never breaks promises."

"I hope you're right sweetie." River laughed, "You always did have a soft spot for your travellers!" She winked at him, smiling.

"River, at one point, Martha was all I had, and I lost her. Like I lost Rose, Donna, and now Amy and Rory…"

River looked up at her husband, "You'll always have me, no arguments, I will always be here."

"River, please, I don't want to think about that, not tonight, can we please just go to bed and sleep? I haven't slept in a long time."

"Not yet," River looked uncomfortable, "There's someone else I need you to call…" She handed her mobile again, "A certain Miss Rose T-"

"NO! I can't call her, ever, I can't-" The Doctor cried, like a wounded animal, "It isn't even possible."

"Oh, but don't you see, sweetie? I'm a time traveller, I can." She laughed and took her mobile from her husband's now shaking hands.

"No! The one adventure I can never have. Rose is living her life, the one adventure I am unable to go, ever." Tears were forming in the corner of his eyes now, River knew that she had gone too far, but she needed this information.

"Doctor, I know that this is hard, I know it is, but Martha and Rose are the only people who can save us now."

"River," The Doctor gazed at her in wonder, "You're not listening to me. It is _impossible _to see or even speak to Rose; parallel universes are a no-go zone." He sighed, "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't see my Rose ever again."

"But, don't you see, you can! You can see her again, isn't that what you want?!" She asked, knowing the answer already.

"I do. I do want to see her, but I can't! It would rip a thousand holes in the universe! It would cause a sun to burn and die. It would rip the whole of creation in two!"

River looked sheepish, "It's ringing-"

"NO! RIVER, NO!" The Doctor snatched the phone away and threw it on the TARDIS's hard floor, the ringing subsequently coming to a rather abrupt halt, "When I say no, please, please, remember that it is for a valid reason! I am so upset that you would do that, River."

"I'm sorry, I-" River spoke, shocked at his reaction.

"River, just leave me be for a while, please, I need to speak to Martha if I can, I need to get my head around all of this, go to be, I shall join you soon, I love you."

"I love you too, sweetie." River replied, "I'm sorry about that, please don't be long." She blew him a kiss and sashayed her way into the bedroom, singing as she did so.

Hearing the door click, The Doctor picked up the now rather battered phone off the floor, and dialled the number that he needed, right now he needed her so bad; it actually hurt.

He placed the receiver up to his ear, willing it to ring, it did, and to his utter surprise and delight all at once, after three rings, a voice answered, "Hello, this is Martha Jones-Smith, who is calling?"

He almost dropped the phone in shock, "Martha, Martha, it's-"

"DOCTOR?!" Martha's voice raised several decibels, "Doctor, is that really you?"

"Yes," The Doctor smiled as Martha squealed, "Hello, you."

"It really is you! I- How- I-" She struggled to find the right words.

"Martha, I- well, you know why I'm calling you…"

"I do, and I have the information you require, but first, mister, how have things been with you?" She asked, giggling as she spoke.

"I miss you." The Doctor whispered, "Things are good, are things good with you?" He laughed as he asked the question.

"I miss you too, Doctor. And things are good; I became a mummy a few months ago!"

"Martha Jones and Mickey Smith; congratulations to the pair of you," He laughed again, "I bet he or she's the best behaved child ever, with the two of you being their parents!" He laughed at his own joke, Martha laughed with him.

They stayed up until around five o clock in the morning, talking and laughing, and planning against the return of the drums.


	4. Chapter 4

The Doctor crept into the bedroom at around half past six. River stirred beside him as he lay down next to her, buzzing with the information that Martha had just shared with him. His mind was far too awake and there were far too many questions darting around his head for him to sleep.

He flicked the light switch at the side of his bedside, and reached for a little blue book. The blue book that River kept, he had a similar one, although it was a lot less damaged than the one his wife kept. It hardly ever left the TARDIS, and when it did it never left his left pocket, for he feared he would lose it.

He opened the first page and fingered the crinkly paper. The first page held a picture of a Dalek, a beautiful illustrated one at that, with the words **_BAD WOLF _**scribed in River's uniquely beautifully written handwriting. He turned page after page, amazed at the sheer detail that had gone into this book, it never failed to amaze him. All the things that his wife had seen, done and heard about, even he could only dream of.

"Sweetie?" River sat up suddenly, aware of his presence, "What time is it?" She glanced at the clock, it was 7:45; a little early for her yet, although she did feel rather awake.

"Good morning, River," The Doctor kissed her, dropping the book between his bedside lamp and table, "I trust you slept well?"

"I did, although I noticed you joined me rather late. What did Martha have to say?" She asked, snuggling down into the duvet.

"Oh, that. Well, nothing as such, just some information for me, that's all honey." He didn't really fancy telling her what they had discussed; it was between him and Martha, after all.

"Did she say if she would help us, or isn't she interested?" River pried, desperate for details.

"River, please, calm down, she will help!" The Doctor laughed, uncertainly. He did hate lying; he hated lying to River, but in order to respect Martha he had sworn that he wouldn't tell a soul, and that he would do, "River, I think we should get up now, we have plans to discuss, after all."

"Hmm, can we not just stay in bed all day?" She asked, snuggling right into him, he shied away from her, not knowing what to do or what to say to her without sounding bitter.

"I have a place where we can go, my darling," He whispered, "How would you like to visit the planet of the rivers?" He winked, "My River in the planet of the rivers."

"Planet of the rivers," River laughed, "Don't you have enough with me, sweetie?" She laughed against his shoulder.

"Always," He replied, swatting her on the head playfully, before leaping out of bed, fully clothed, much to River's confusion. "Come on now, get dressed! We can have a picnic! We can have a picnic watching as the rivers flow past us!"

"I'd love that." River replied, getting out of bed herself, her nightgown all twisted from a good night's sleep, "I'd really love that."

"I'll leave you to get dressed, my love. Come into the kitchen when you're ready." He exited the room, leaving River and her wardrobe to work out what she would be wearing today.

He entered the kitchen, intending to cook his wife a breakfast fit for the Queen that she was, but, before he had a chance, something stopped him. River's phone was ringing, and he was the only one that could hear it.

"Hello?" He answered, rather timidly.

"River, is that you?" A female voice spoke, and The Doctor had to squeeze the receiver in order to stop it falling from his now rather clammy grasp.

"No, it isn't River, this is her husband, can I help with anything?" He asked formally, trying to retain his composure.

"Oh, hello there, my name is Rose. Can you tell her Rose called, please? She'll know what it concerns I should imagine. Thank you."

"Oh, yes. I certainly can do that, Miss-" The Doctor asked, feigning his innocence.

"Tyler. My name is Rose Tyler." She answered, and he had to stop himself from laughing out loud.

"I can do that, Miss Tyler. I shall tell my wife that you called. Can I ask why you're calling? River is very busy flying around in her time machine." He laughed then, unable to stop himself.

"It concerns someone called The Master. She knows what it's about. I can't think what concern it is of yours, but just tell her I called, please." She replied, rather sharply.

"Miss Tyler, your tongue hasn't changed at all." The Doctor laughed again, loudly this time.

"Excuse me?" She asked, rather taken aback.

The Doctor said nothing, ending the call, he shouted through to River, "River, my love, looks like we're going to have to skip breakfast, you've just had a phone call!" He was grinning from ear to ear, like a Cheshire cat.

"Who was it, sweetie?" She asked, not really caring, she was still deciding what to wear, "Will it be hot cold, or will there be changes, you know, where we're going?"

"Forget that, you just had a call, River, a phone call, for you!" He shouted, excitedly.

River burst into the kitchen, she was fully dressed, her hair was immaculate and she looked bedazzling, "Who was it, sweetie?" She asked, fiddling with a clip in her hair.

"Rose! It was Rose! I just spoke to Rose!" He grabbed her waist, kissing her deeply, his mood rubbing off onto her.

"That's wonderful, sweetie! I'd better call her back! Then planet of the rivers, here we come!"

"Here we come, indeed!" The Doctor replied, laughing with her as she fished for her mobile, "Here we come!"


	5. Chapter 5

The sound of dull drumming filled the room, penetrating each and every single sense of those who were lucky enough, -or, rather _unlucky_, enough to hear it.

The sound was so potent, in fact, that the loudest of sounds could not be heard over it, the drums drowned out everything, and everyone who tried to challenge them.

Drums.

That's all that _he _heard, day in, day out, night in, night out, that's all that The Master could hear.

It was driving him insane, he had no sense of what was right or what was wrong anymore, no sense of purpose, it was just drums.

Drums that drove people to insanity.

"Harry?" The only voice that could be heard over the drums filled his ears, "Harry, where are you?"

"In here, Lucy." He replied, as coolly as he could, the drums still banging that tedious rhythm into his delicate skull.

Lucy Saxon appeared, my, she was a sight. A beautiful, beautiful sight, but a sight none-the-less.

"There you are! I've been looking for you," She fluttered her eyelashes, and The Master almost laughed, "I missed you." She finished, stroking his face with her free hand.

She looked straight into his eyes, they were big, and they were full of self-hatred and pity, it saddened her deeply, but even _she _could not do anything when it came to this, she wasn't strong enough to overcome the drums, but she tried, oh, she tried so hard to please him.

She did love him, after all.

"I missed you too, Lucy," He smiled, not a full smile, but a smile that rarely crossed his lips nowadays, "Come here." He engulfed his wife in a big, protective hug, his strong arms protecting her from all the evil that he tried to avoid now.

"How was it?" Lucy asked, curious about her husband's regular disappearing acts, "How was your trip?"

The Master loosened his grip, and looked into her beautiful bright blue eyes, "It was.. -successful." He smiled, kissing her passionately, her smile became visible against his lips, encouraging him more.

"Good," She broke away, her bright red lipstick smudged slightly, "I'm glad, but I did miss you, I missed you so," She kissed him once again, remnants of her lipstick now visible on his bottom lip, "I love you."

"I love you too, Lucy," The Master smiled as he once again pulled her closer, "I love you so much."

Lucy unhooked her body from around his, grasping his hand as she did so, "Did you find out about them, my love?" She asked, seriousness etched onto her face, her perfectly shaped brows furrowed as she spoke, her tone of voice dropped several decibels, as if she was afraid she was being watched.

"Whom?" The Master asked, his own brows furrowed, mimicking his wife's.

"You know," Lucy began, wetting her rapidly drying lips with her tongue, "_Them_."

"Lucy," The Master began, slower than before, "You know I cannot discuss this with you," He let her hand drop to her side, a look of coldness crossed his face as he spoke, "I cannot talk about such things with you, you know that."

"I- I know, I just thought-" Lucy started, but was cut off by The Master's cool index finger brushing against her lips, "I'm sorry, Harry."

"Don't be," The Master laughed, removing his finger from it's current position and planting a soft kiss on Lucy's own index finger, "Just please, please, Lucy, I need you to trust me."

"I do trust you!" Lucy almost shrieked, "I do, my love, I just want us to be safe once again, and with those-"

"Just forget about it, please, Lucy," He looked into her eyes again, they were full of fear, "Everything will work out soon enough, I promise, I really, really, promise you that."

"How?" His wife avoided his gaze, "How can you promise me that, Harry? I-"

"Have I ever lied to you, my love?" He stared straight at her, "I never have, and I never will. I love you."

"I love you too, but I-" Lucy stopped herself, meeting her husband's expression made her stop in her tracks, it was so cold, so callous, so _unhuman_, that it scared her, "I'm sorry, I-" again, she couldn't finish her sentence, fear lodged in her throat like a penny sweet.

"I said forget about it!" The Master shouted, making Lucy flinch, this man amazed her, but, oh, did her scare her witless sometimes.

"Okay, okay, I will, just _please _be careful.. please, I would hate for something bad to happen to you, I-"

"LUCY! I said forget about it, please, please, I'm fine!" This time, his tone had completely changed, his voice so dark and mysterious that it almost disappeared into itself, "Stop fretting. Please."

"I'm not,-"

"Come here, you," He interrupted her, kissing her passionately, "I'll always be safe with you by my side."

And he meant it, he could take on the monsters and demons he would have to face with Lucy at his side.


End file.
